Inn's owner, neighbors still at odds over noise complaints

WAREHAM — The owner of the Harbor Watch Inn said she is willing to accept new conditions, but some neighbors say they believe she is not going far enough to reduce noise.

BRIAN BOYD

WAREHAM — The owner of the Harbor Watch Inn said she is willing to accept new conditions, but some neighbors say they believe she is not going far enough to reduce noise.

The selectmen have to decide what requirements to impose in order to address complaints about loud music and unruly patrons.

Selectmen closed the hearing on the inn's liquor and entertainment licenses Tuesday night, and were discussing at press time what to do. They said they had to balance the owner's rights with the needs of people who live near the business.

"It's all about location and the circumstances of what happens when you really have competing functions," a business near homes, Selectman James Potter said.

Neighbors and owner Margery "Meg" Kisten Anzalone met three times since the hearing started July 31. She and a neighborhood representative offered differing views on how successful those talks were.

Ms. Anzalone said Tuesday night that she agreed to various measures such as hiring security and posting signs telling customers to be mindful of the neighbors.

She said she wants to address the noise concerns without cutting back on entertainment in a way that she fears "will impact substantially the capacity for that business to survive."

Resident Nicole Richer said the two sides have been unable to agree on a list of conditions.

"Although minor concessions were made, ultimately our differences prevailed," Mrs. Richer said, reading a statement from a group of neighbors.

At the July 31 meeting, police Lt. Irving I. Wallace said police had responded to a number of noise complaints since Memorial Day, typically in the early evening. He said the inn either turned down the volume when asked by police, or officers found the noise to be at reasonable levels.

However, angry neighbors said it goes beyond what the police record suggests, with loud bands and disc jockeys keeping them awake, and customers urinating in public and having obnoxious conversations.

Other residents spoke at the hearing to defend the business. Ms. Anzalone defended how she runs her business.

On Tuesday night, Mrs. Richer said in the statement the owner has been unable to work with neighbors in good faith. The owner's attorney, Louis A. Cassis, said she has turned the inn into a successful business and has run it without violations.

"Her level of willingness to compromise with neighbors is far greater than neighbors' willingness to compromise with her," Mr. Cassis said.

Asked whether she is trying to sell the property, Ms. Anzalone said she had listed it for sale in January in an attempt to recruit an equity partner.